South Korea s Han Duck soo to run in June presidential election

SEOUL – South Korea’s former acting president Han Duck-soo has entered the fray for the country’s top office, amid a flurry of leadership changes as the nation prepares for a June 3 presidential election.

“I am a president focused on the economy, a president who can win, a person who will move forward, not veer to the left or the right, and a person who will keep his promises and then step down,” Mr Han said in a televised speech.

Mr Han pledged to amend the Constitution in a bid to bring more stability to a country rocked by political instability in recent months following Yoon Suk Yeol’s bungled attempt to enforce martial law and his subsequent ouster.

Mr Han seeks to enable two-term presidencies with shorter four-year durations, a move that might bring more continuity to the nation’s political leadership.

“I will properly and persistently pursue constitutional revision and I will properly and persistently take care of the people’s livelihoods,” Mr Han said.

Mr Han, 75, stepped down as South Korea’s stand-in leader on May 1, paving the way for his declaration on May 2.

He was ultimately replaced by Education Minister Lee Ju-ho after Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who was due to take over, resigned amid a late-night impeachment vote in Parliament.

Mr Han may eventually seek to unite a campaign with the final candidate of the centre-right People Power Party (PPP).

The PPP will select its election representative on May 3, but splitting the vote among supporters would help the opposition Democratic Party.

Opinion polls show the opposition Democratic Party’s presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung as the front runner in the election by a wide margin.

But Mr Lee faces further complications in his bid to become leader after the Supreme Court overturned an acquittal ruling in a